


White Carbon, an Entirely Hypothetical Allotrope of Carbon

by chaosmanor



Category: Bandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Remix Duello 2010
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-08
Updated: 2010-10-08
Packaged: 2017-10-12 13:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/125078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosmanor/pseuds/chaosmanor





	White Carbon, an Entirely Hypothetical Allotrope of Carbon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Delphinapterus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delphinapterus/gifts).
  * Inspired by [An Allotrope of Carbon](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/1612) by Delphinapterus. 



The ritual Gerard followed before leaving the compound was soothing in its own right, and Mikey arranged himself more comfortably on the chair in Gerard's room to watch each of the stages.

Gerard pulled the micro gloves on carefully, settling the fine silicon skins over his own fingers so his prints were obscured, then dressed in newly laundered clothing. He methodically checked his pockets for anything that might identify him, and took cash from the reserve they kept for the purpose, so he was only carrying rumpled and used banknotes.

Then Gerard sprayed lacquer over his head, to anchor any loose hairs, and ran a blow dryer over his shoulders, to make sure he hadn't dislodged any strands of hair or dandruff flakes.

"The thing is," Mikey said, "the thing is, you do all this, so you can leave the compound and be with your wonderfully normal lover and child. And what did you name the product of this utterly normal union? Your bond with the outside world?"

Gerard glared at Mikey.

"I love my niece dearly," Mikey said. "Blood of my blood, and all that. But couldn't you have called her Meredith? Or Annie?"

"She was born, and Bandit was her name," Gerard said.

Mikey grinned. "I know, one day it will happen to me, and I too will father a child. And my child will be called Jemmy, or Safecracker, or Fence. We shall breed a child army of completely normal well-adjusted darlings. Maybe Jamia and Frank will name their children after each of the Sorrow diamonds."

"Have you heard anything more about Alicia?" Gerard asked, making Mikey flinch on the inside. "Are you sure we shouldn't arrange a contract, get someone to lift her out?"

Gerard was the only person that Mikey would let mention Alicia's name, and sometimes he wished that he hadn't given Gerard that permission.

"The status has not changed," Mikey said. "I sent a _?_ through cutoffs, and she sent back an _N_. She doesn't require any intervention from us, and will serve out her time with the Feds."

Further attempts at contact would compromise the Ways' cover, and would possibly implicate Alicia in more crimes than just the minor currency exchange irregularity she was convicted of. Also, Mikey really wanted to stop thinking about Alicia, and how long she had been gone.

"About Jamia and Frank…" Gerard said. "Had you considered…?"

Mikey waited, because Gerard was wearing his pensive look, but Gerard just chewed on his lip, then shook his head.

"Let me back in tomorrow?" Gerard asked.

"Always," Mikey said, then Gerard was gone.

***

Late in the night, the door to the study creaked slightly behind Mikey, and he looked up from his laptop and caught a glimpse of reflected silk shimmering in the water white glass of the watercolor over the fireplace.

"Hey, Jamia," he said. "Come on in."

Mikey rested his laptop on the coffee table amongst the coffee mugs, and Jamia lowered herself onto the couch, opposite Mikey, waking Piglet, who licked her hand and clambered onto her lap.

"Can't sleep?" Mikey asked, stretching the tightness out of his neck. "And Frank can?"

"Frank is sleeping the sleep of a man who has stolen a ruby the size of a robin's egg and made righteous love to his wife," Jamia said, covering a yawn, then scratching at her face. "And I have hives on my face from the spirit gum, and bruises on my tits from the binder."

Mikey nodded sympathetically. "Spirit gum sucks," he said. "And I hate tucking. Not even righteous love makes up for tucking."

Jamia stopped scratching at her chin and massaged her breast through the silk gown. "I think sometimes righteous love is fundamentally incompatible with binding, and possibly tucking," she said. "Of course, my personal knowledge of tucking is purely observational."

"We all suffer for our art," Mikey said.

Jamia looked up at Mikey, and Mikey had to remind himself that just because her robe was hanging open, it didn't mean he was allowed to look.

"Can I ask you something?" Jamia said, and Mikey nodded.

"I've always thought you were the least shallow person I knew," Jamia said. "The least concerned with appearances, or what other people thought."

Mikey shrugged.

"So, why did you get your eyes done?"

Mikey touched his face, feeling for the place where his glasses used to leave a groove in the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, that was work. I popped a contact out on a job, and Gerard said he'd replace me with someone with decent vision unless I had the corrective surgery. Contacts are distinctive, the same way shoe prints are, so it's an issue."

"Do you miss it?" Jamia asked, and Mikey wondered for a moment if she'd had a corridor-conversation with Gerard about Alicia, before realizing her hand movements were miming safecracking, not referencing Alicia in some obscene manner. Really, Mikey needed to leave the compound occasionally. Or Jamia needed to tighten the belt on her robe.

"Only in a vague way, where I wish I still drove getaway vehicles and parachuted from gliders at night," Mikey said. "Now, when I want an adrenalin rush, I have to play chess against Ray online for money."

Jamia glanced at the laptop on the coffee table and raised an eyebrow, and Mikey grabbed for it protectively, slopping stale coffee out of mugs and making Piglet squeak with excitement.

"No, no you can't look," he said.

"C'mon. I steal diamonds. I'm sure I can steal Ray's king."

Mikey closed the laptop with a solid click.

"It's a question of honor," Mikey said. "It would be cheating."

Jamia stared at Mikey for a long second, and they both started laughing.

"That's ridiculous," Jamia said, shifting Piglet, standing up and smoothing her robe down her belly, then scooping up Piglet again. "I like you, Michael."

"I like you, too, Jamia," Mikey said.

Jamia paused in the doorway, Piglet squirming in her arms.

"Whoever your girl is, I hope she comes back," Jamia said. "You should be happy."


End file.
